Character Model Requests

[The_Chronicle_GER]

"first, dump XNALara, get XPS (11.8 is last version, look it up on deviantart)"

I looked that up and: damn, those different names for the same program are kinda confusing... So, I already have XPS 11.8 installed - and I'm really sorry for the false information there (when I've got a LOT to do around myself, I struggle with sorting stuff) :/

"Possibly here?... Forget about obj and use XPS native format(s) if you can, if not, anything that is not obj. FBX, Collada, for example. (*)

I think so, too, which is because: When converting to a static object, I kinda kick out the bones of the model. But since they already look good (checked that with Granny Viewer and even made a screenshot there), I need to keep them.

I'm gonna check all the recommendations out once I've got a little more air and time to do that - currently a LOT of time is going down the drain for job interviews and other stuff related to that. Thanks though for all the help, Ems

EDIT says:
Is the rigging way any different when the desired XPS model consists of multiple seperated models in the source (e. g. body, hair and weapon each in a model on its own)?

[Ems]

EDIT says:
Is the rigging way any different when the desired XPS model consists of multiple seperated models in the source (e. g. body, hair and weapon each in a model on its own)?

Not really. And you don't rig anything. Just that it takes a bit of work to connect everything together logically, and may be tricky for a novice. It's about parenting and vert groups. And it's easy to miss things and get crapload of incomprehensible errors.

If your gr2 importer is smart enough to connect armatures (armature=skeleton=bones) upon loading more than one part, and remove duplicate bones like for example .psk importer for Max is, then it should be no problem. But if it's not, you'll have to load and export each part separately with its armature and then learn a couple of more things.

Dunno about Metin, but usually MMO models, if they are split to parts like yours, lessay body and head, for example, both have the same, or partially the same skeleton which is merged by game engine on selecting them both as your appearance. So to get everything to work, you need to merge both skeletons, or just their parts in similar way, but first, try and determine what can you get, then worry about this stuff.
a: In case both parts have the same skeleton: you only need to parent all parts to one of these skeletons.
b: In case skeletons are partial: you will need to use bones from both to construct complete skeleton, then parent meshes to that skeleton.
c: In case of one part having full, and the other only partial skeleton with bones that would overlap with the first one, you only need to parent all meshes to the first one.

37.6, back to bed.

[The_Chronicle_GER]

If your gr2 importer is smart enough to connect armatures (armature=skeleton=bones) upon loading more than one part, and remove duplicate bones like for example .psk importer for Max is, then it should be no problem. But if it's not, you'll have to load and export each part separately with its armature and then learn a couple of more things.

This is the part where my gr2 importer shows his true side: That importer isn't that smart to import both the mesh and the skeleton at the same time. In fact, it only (!) imports the skeleton and I've got to import the remaining part either via a 3ds max script or Valve SMD to get them together. Also, I dumped 3ds Max in favor of Blender since I converted some other models (they were already rigged and the textures already converted so that XPS can read them) with it. And those models are still quite big in terms of size, but they work in XPS.

And with Granny Viewer, I just checked the models about the bones and I've got a mix of variants a and c here: The body model has the hair bones included and these are the same as the hair model has, although the hair model has a set of bones on its own. Those bones would overlap, so I need to parent all parts on one skeleton (which would be the body one), since I load this one up first.

And Fuse (got it on Steam) is quite touchy when importing the obj file (lucky me that I still had it in my recycle bin): When I select the obj file, mesh parts etc, Fuse starts importing and then says that the file contents out-of-bounds UVs - all that topped with a note that I should check the source file. What does that mean when a model contains out-of-bounds UVs? I also used google again to find a guide, but the server seems to be down...

[Anx]

My 2 cents

1. Load the Granny model in 3ds max. Either http://larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php ... ber=564303 or any other way
2. Export it as .mesh.ascii using mariokart64n maxscript https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showth ... p?t=181251 like https://www.deviantart.com/mariokart64n ... -675360368
3. Load all the .mesh.ascii parts in XPS
4. Merge the parts in XPS using "Modify->Export scene as mesh" https://www.deviantart.com/grummel83/ar ... -620553955
5. Assign the textures in XPS using "Modify->Material Editor" https://www.deviantart.com/xnafreak/art ... -754288680
6. Profit

[The_Chronicle_GER]

My 2 cents

1. Load the Granny model in 3ds max. Either http://larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php ... ber=564303 or any other way
2. Export it as .mesh.ascii using mariokart64n maxscript https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showth ... p?t=181251 like https://www.deviantart.com/mariokart64n ... -675360368
3. Load all the .mesh.ascii parts in XPS
4. Merge the parts in XPS using "Modify->Export scene as mesh" https://www.deviantart.com/grummel83/ar ... -620553955
5. Assign the textures in XPS using "Modify->Material Editor" https://www.deviantart.com/xnafreak/art ... -754288680
6. Profit

These 2 cents are probably what I searched for! Thanks for that, Anx And btw: I did the model exporting with Noesis (needs just two mouse-clicks!) and the model loads up properly now. New problem: How do I insert the bones now?

Problem still is: How do I convert the textures into the different maps that I can assign them in XPS?

[Anx]

These 2 cents are probably what I searched for! Thanks for that, Anx

Problem still is: Does XPS automatically split up the textures when assiging them?

What do you mean by "split up the textures"?

... When extracting those files with a file extractor, I'm getting .dds files (which are the textures) and ...
The model consists of two model files (one is for the body, which includes the face, and the other is for the hair) and three texture files (one each for body, face and hair).
... (the textures are also converted into .tga format already, since appearently XNALara - which I'm using - can't read the .dds files)...

So, you just have 3 meshes and 3 textures (I suppose these are the Color Maps, so called Albedo maps, Detail maps or Diffuse maps ).
So just invoke for each mesh part (for body, face and hair; so 3 times) the "Material Editor" and click (Left Mouse Button), on the button "diffuse map". That's all.

BTW:
Your statement " XNALara can't read the .dds files" is wrong.
The default texture format in XNALara is .png, but .dds is also supported.
Supported texture (and image) formats are PFM (Portable float map), DDS, BMP, JPG, TGA, PNG, PPM, DIB, HDR

Source of this information:
Manual Para Programar en XNA 3.1 )
Los formatos de imgenes que podrn agregar en la solucin de un proyecto de XNA se muestran en la Tabla 4-1.5 Tabla 4-1 Formato Significado Bmp Microsoft Windows bitmap. Dds DirectDrawSurface. Dib Microsoft Windows bitmap. Hdr High dynamic-range. Jpg Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) compressed Pfm Portable float map. Png Portable Network Graphics. Ppm Portable pixmap. Tga Truevision Targa image. Cada formato de imagen tiene sus caractersticas particulares que las hacen importantes para cada fin
XNA_Slides - 3D User Interfaces for Games 3D and Virtual Reality
Supported formats: bmp, .dds, .dib, .hdr, .jpg, .pfm, .png, .ppm, and .tga
Micosoft D3DXCreateTextureFromResource
This function supports the following file formats: .bmp, .dds, .dib, .hdr, .jpg, .pfm, .png, .ppm, and .tga.
See D3DXIMAGE_FILEFORMAT.

What is the source of your different information?
How can you say that only TGA works (and not DDS) if you see NOTHING?

... I linked the .dds textures to the model, although that should be the .tga ones. That mistake is fixed now, but the model still doesn't show up in XNALara appropiately - the posing screen stays empty ...

[The_Chronicle_GER]

What do you mean by "split up the textures"?

So, you just have 3 meshes and 3 textures (I suppose these are the Color Maps, so called Albedo maps, Detail maps or Diffuse maps ).
So just invoke for each mesh part (for body, face and hair; so 3 times) the "Material Editor" and click (Left Mouse Button), on the button "diffuse map". That's all. [...]
How can you say that only TGA works (and not DDS) if you see NOTHING?

I assigned the body texture to the model in the material editor and the model almost instantly disappears - that's why I don't see anything from the model when it has the textures. If I take the files XPS created when loading the model up in it, it works properly. So somehow, I've got a problem with the .dds files (don't know what the problem is, though...) On the other hand, when I load the texture at someplace else in the Material Editor, it goes invisible first and when I delete that stuff again, the model gets a black texture - this gets me struggling again... And the model is working with XPS - which is the mosst difficult part completed.

And what I mean by splitting up the textures?
Each texture has(?) a light, diffuse, bump and specular map (e. g. like Dissidia FF NT's Zidane Tribal Trance Form). So I somehow need to find a way to get the textures working in XPS as they're supposed to be in the source (see attached image).

Avalonian Armor.jpg

EDIT: I just want to add that I found out how to split up the textures. When assigning them in XPS and upping the render groups, XPS does that automatically. But still, the textures show up as plain black textures, whereas when viewing the texture source files in either IrfanView/Noesis they show up normally... And there's also the missing skeleton...

[Anx]

1. I assigned the body texture to the model in the material editor and the model almost instantly disappears

   

2. If I take the files XPS created when loading the model up in it, it works properly.

   

3. when I load the texture at someplace else in the Material Editor, it goes invisible first

   

4. when I delete that stuff again, the model gets a black texture.

   

5. Each material set has(?) a light, diffuse, bump and specular map. So I somehow need to find a way to get the textures working in XPS as they're supposed to be

   
   So, issue solved.
   

   I assigned the body texture to the model in the material editor and the model almost instantly disappears (semitransparent)

   

Did you get it now?
The "Render" of the model appears "semi transparent", because in the "Material Editor" the "Render paramer" called "transparency" is "selected", and the duffuse texture has a "alpha channel" (perhaps the gloss map; read the game engine description for modelers)

in Noesis ... there's also the missing skeleton...

If in Noesis is the skeleton, and if you has use the right Noesis to XNALara/XPS importer/exporter plugin, then is in XPS also the "bone names" listed in the "Control Window" and the "bone joints" (as mouse over effect) in the "3D Render window",

except the "armature" of the source model is wrong -> viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1139&start=30#p82033


BTW:
Before you run into the next trouble, search for the "XNALara pure white texture" issue, or read https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showpo ... stcount=39
(Also related to "almost instantly disappears" and "model gets a black texture" )

[The_Chronicle_GER]

Tried all that Anx mentioned and yet - the model stays at a black texture. So somehow my texture files don't seem to work properly. I even went so far and edited the mesh.ascii file with Notepad++ to insert the textures there and then assign them correctly in XPS (when setting the texture file, the model goes invisible - but when taking the tickbox "transperency" out, the render group automatically gets set to 5, which also prompts the model to get visible again. Changing the render group then to 24 prompts XPS to load up/create the remaning files from the texture XPS finds (bump, light and specular maps) instead of creating them from the texture used in the bump map). On top of that, XPS seems to have created a .png file of the body texture when saving the model as an .xps file. I also managed to scale the model down a fair bit (more realistic heights compared to other models). This gets me all confused and prompts me to say:

Can please help me someone who's quite expierenced with that to set the model finally up and ready for XPS? I seem to reach my texturing/rendering/whatever limits at this point...

[Anx]

send it with PrivatMessage, and I fix it.